Head to Head Analysis: ExlService (NASDAQ:EXLS) versus Waitr (NASDAQ:ASAP)

Waitr (NASDAQ:ASAP) and ExlService (NASDAQ:EXLS) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings, profitability, valuation, dividends and risk.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

0.0% of Waitr shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.9% of ExlService shares are held by institutional investors. 14.2% of Waitr shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 4.0% of ExlService shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Waitr and ExlService’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Waitr	-111.96%	N/A	-209.50%
ExlService	10.61%	23.23%	13.38%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Waitr and ExlService, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Waitr	0	0	0	0	0.00
ExlService	0	1	5	0	2.83

ExlService has a consensus target price of $52.33, suggesting a potential upside of 13.60%. Given ExlService’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe ExlService is more favorable than Waitr.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Waitr and ExlService”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Waitr	$130.00 million	0.00	-$206.79 million	N/A	N/A
ExlService	$1.90 billion	3.94	$184.56 million	$1.32	34.90

ExlService has higher revenue and earnings than Waitr.

Risk and Volatility

Waitr has a beta of 0.66, suggesting that its share price is 34% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ExlService has a beta of 0.86, suggesting that its share price is 14% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

ExlService beats Waitr on 10 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Waitr

Waitr Holdings Inc. operates an online ordering technology platform in the United States. Its platform allows to order food, alcohol, convenience, grocery, flowers, auto parts, and others. The company's platform also facilitates access to third parties that provide payment processing solutions for restaurants and other merchants. Waitr Holdings Inc. was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana.

About ExlService

ExlService Holdings, Inc. operates as a data analytics, and digital operations and solutions company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Insurance, Healthcare, Analytics, and Emerging Business segments. It also provides digital operations and solutions and analytics-driven services, such as claims processing, premium and benefit administration, agency management, account reconciliation, policy research, underwriting support, new business acquisition, policy servicing, premium audit, surveys, billing and collection, commercial and residential survey, and customer service using digital technology, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced automation; digital customer acquisition services using a software-as-a-service delivery model through LifePRO and LISS platforms; subrogation services; and Subrosource software platform, an end-to-end subrogation platform. In addition, the company offers health care services related to care management, utilization management, disease management, payment integrity, revenue optimization, and customer engagement. Further, it provides financial planning and analysis, management reporting, forecasting and decision support, data management, regulatory reporting and risk, and compliance services; reservations, customer, and fulfilment services; freight billing, collections, claims management, freight audit, freight scheduling, supply chain management, and revenue assurance services; residential mortgage lending, title verification and validation, retail banking and credit cards, trust verification, commercial banking, and investment management; merchandising, pricing, and demand forecasting; and digital operations and solutions. The company offers predictive and prescriptive analytics in the areas of customer acquisition and lifecycle management. ExlService Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in New York, New York.